Realm Runners

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR: Peak of the Spire

15

JUL/12

Megilwath charges up to one of the channeling enigmas, pulling it away from the pillar effectively stopping it’s cast. Myst rips her head to the side to catch Shalimar, Paldemar and Varyl in her noxious breath. The succubus curses the wyrm, warning that she will inform Aurgloroasa of her treachery. The young shadow dragon scoffs at the threat and promises none of the shadovar will leave the room alive, dying by her claws or the intruder’s weapons.

Aces rushes up to Varyl, and still reeling from the betrayal has trouble dealing with the Mul woman. Krushi and the Maven head into the corner near Megilwath to aid him in killing off the enigma. Mentathenis, calling Ebon from the Astral Plane to assist him, faces down Paldemar, Shalimar and a trio of Norkers. The Bronze Warder crashes through a set of double doors and charges across the room towards Krushi and the Maven. Modreg attempts to open a magically sealed door in the rune room using his thievery skills.

Myst makes a few attacks upon her former allies and withdraws to the other pillar to begin attacking the second channeling enigma. Megilwath, Krushi and the Maven bring the first enigma to a bloody state and it begins ripping off its own flesh in a rage, being destroyed soon after. Aces continues her attacks on Varyl and the succubus manages to plant a kiss on the Maven, placing a trance upon the girl and turning her into a loyal shield for the winged woman. Megilwath moves on to assault the larger Norker. Ebon is badly injured and returns to the Astral Plane, pushing Mentathenis to take out Shalimar, and the two smaller Norkers in retaliation, he is pursued by Paldemar and falls back behind a pillar for cover. Having trouble with the Bronze Warder, Kruhi retreats both herself and the Maven to safer ground with her sirocco. Being free of direct attacks, the Halfling releases a storm around Aces, ripping through the Warder and the Norker Berserker.

Without her elven shield Varyl cannot stand up to Aces onslaught and falls. The Mul turns to head off the Warder, who attempts to chase Krushi. Myst rips the second enigma in half and flies across the room to assist Aces. Megilwath unleashes the wraith blade and rips the soul out of the Berserker, to continue after Paldemar. The Maven throws out her healing abilities and stays near Krushi who launches her attacks into the construct. Aces leaves the minotaur in Myst’s claws to help Megilwath and Mentathenis with Paldemar, who is finally destroyed. Everyone turns their attention towards the Warder and it eventually falls to pieces with a metallic clang.

Myst reverts to her human form and offers the party a proposition in that if they kill her master Aurgloroasa, she will give them each a piece of the dracolich’s extensive treasure hoard. They agree, and she hands them a small black stone, so that when they are about to make the killing blow against the lich, they can speak into the stone and Myst will crush her phylactery, ensuring her death. In addition, she tells them that Shade is the floating city of the shadovar, and they are on the move to cover all of Toril in darkness.

Mentathenis takes Paldemar’s Wand of Icy Rays +3 and Modreg manages to open the door to Paldemar’s room to discover a pounch of 1000 gold under the bed and a Spying Orb for the Seven Pillared Hall. Krushi locates a ritual book with three rituals within it in the Warder’s antechamber. Two of which, being Leomond’s Secret Chest and Arcane Lock, she gives to Mentathenis. The third, Brew Potion, she gives to the Maven.

On their way out of the tower they find a gem worth 800 gold and a crystal skull of cyric worth 500 gold in the enigma’s den.

Reappearing in the large cavern within the Labyrinth, Myst bids them farewell, and flies off down one of the tunnels. The party notices that Terrlen is not at his camp, and decide to go looking for him. Megilwath and Modreg are able to follow his footfalls into a side passage and through an almost completely collapsed section revealing yet another branching tunnel. Krushi yells down into the darkness to see if he answers and sure enough the man does, soon after, running up to them and begging them excitedly to come see what he discovered while mapping.

He leads them down a corkscrew-like tunnel winding down and leading to a dead end. There Terrlen points out a curious symbol scratched into the wall. Mentathenis recognizes it from his studies as a rough representation of Sigil, the city of doors. Aces quickly dismisses it as unimportant and pushes the party to leave quickly. When asked why by Mentathenis and Krushi, she talks about her experiences in the city and upon her home world of Athas. The woman does not want to go back, but touches the wall to ensure that the portal is not active. She tells them that doors all across the multiverse can be opened depending on whether or not you are carrying item attuned to open each specific door, the item can be almost anything at all.

Terrlen marks the position of the symbol on his map just in case they need to find it again and they all return to the cavern. As they approach, they can hear movement near the camp. Megilwath and Modreg move into the shadows to discover a drow female rummaging through Terrlen’s things. Megilwath and the others approach the woman who notices their coming and whips around with a large scythe in hand. When pressed about what she is doing, the drow says she is lost, but Mentathenis calls her on her lie and says that she has come with a warning, for Megilwath. She tells them all that House Hun’viir is coming and they are no more than two days behind her, traveling with undoubtedly large numbers. She must also warn the Seven Pillared Hall as that was the last place they saw the rogue drow. She asks them to lead her to the Hall. Krushi asks why she is helping Megilwath, and she replies that she believes that the drow and the surface should not be so at odds with one another. The Halfling asks her name and she introduces herself as Fanidea Tayunyrr.

Returning to the Hall, they are once again approached by Charrak, the kobold beggar, who informs them that there are three people very interested in the red headed elven girl at the Halfmoon Inn. Sona gulps in fear and the companions continue towards the Inn, where they can see two horses tied up in front.